The invention relates to systems for constructing floors commonly referred to as strip floor systems wherein either random or regular lengths of wood boards are fitted together. Maple wood boards are popularly used in such constructions which are typically provided with tongue and groove side portions for interlocking with adjacent boards in a side-by-side arrangement. However, the ends of the boards are normally abutted against the other without means of joinder therebetween. One attempt to create a joint between the ends of the boards has been the utilization of a steel spline in one end of the boards which mate with a groove on the opposite end of an abutting board.
Various arrangements of tongue and groove joints are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,038,433 and 3,713,264 which utilize clips spaced at different points along the lengths of the tongue and grooving for securing the boards to the floor. However, the ends are engaged in free abutment.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,058 discloses a composite floor system which utilizes elongated strips which run transverse to the length of the boards for clipping a tongue and groove arrangement to the subfloor.
It is noted that most of the prior art floor systems utilize elongated strips of wood with the joints generally formed in the sides thereof. Since buckling normally occurs longitudinally in flooring boards rather than laterally, there is little or no resistence to buckling provided by the securing joints. While the use of a steel spline and groove arrangement at the end of the boards might tend to resist buckling in the longitudinal direction, the joint provided at the end is not secured to the floor and thus buckling of a board may cause the abutting of an adjacent board to also rise up.